Successful business aside, she lives with such intent, focus and love - she just radiates honesty and positivity. Hanging out with Rhi always leaves me feeling inspired, knowledgable and hungry for more discussions around yoga, wellness and family. As a mindful working mama of two boys, I wanted to learn her secrets... let's hear it from our woman of the hour, Rhiannon. _____
Give us one sentence to sum up what motherhood means to you.
The greatest gift. Childbirth was the ___________ because it ____________ . Childbirth was incredible because it was the most empowering experience of my life, albeit, equally the most painful. My mum always spoke fondly of her 3 birth stories which I believe ignited my strong interest and passion for birth since a really young age. The magic of conception, pregnancy and birth blows my mind. I came to my births full of excitement, and in acceptance of whatever my birth journey would be. Knowledge is power. So, I educated myself on the science of the psychological and physical birth process, and felt armed with understanding, options, and a team of midwives I trusted immensely. I did a lot of birth preparation; from acupuncture, engaging a doula, cranial osteopathy, many herbal teas, eating a (mostly!) good diet, perennial massage, body massage, essential oils, positive affirmations etc. So, when it came to the birth, I surrendered to the experience and trusted that my body would know what to do. And it did. And it was incredible. Have you always wanted to be an interior designer? I grew up always wanting to be an Interior Designer or a midwife. While my passion for creating beautiful and functional spaces is still strong, so is my yearning for supporting women through their birthing experience. I have intentions to sit my Doula training in the coming years, so then I can do both! What has been the hardest lesson to learn as a new mum running her own family design business? Managing my time and lowering my expectations of my time. Actively being mindful when I'm in working mode, and equally mindful with my mothering. It's easy to fall into the trap of being on a work call while making dinner with kids hanging off your legs, and getting on top of mothering/household duties when the kids are in care. I'm constantly working on lowering my expectations of my time, knowing that there is rarely a day or week that all the ‘to do’ boxes are ticked. And that is ok. (I think???!!!) Speaking of your family business, what’s it like living with AND working with your husband daily? How do you keep that so called “work life balance” steady? We never feel as though we are ‘working together’ as our jobs and days are so different. Sometimes we might be working on different projects for weeks or months where our only cross over is ‘on the business’ with bookkeeping etc. Our preferred projects, are the ones where we are engaged from design through to construction, and even then we work in a totally different capacity and different stages throughout the project. We joke that having a company together is probably our saving grace, as we have a greater understanding and tolerance for each other with the long days and late nights. Lastly, and probably most importantly, our success in renovating our own houses and working on projects together comes from a huge respect that we have for each other’s skill set. Matt doesn’t question my design decisions, and I never tell him how to build! What determines success in your eyes? Being in a place of absolute happiness and inner peace, regardless of the external situations surrounding you. Brené Brown says "Unused creativity doesn’t just disappear. It lives within us until it’s expressed, neglected to death, or suffocated by resentment and fear.” What are your thoughts on this? When I first heard this I instantly had a pit in my belly. That told me I was guilty of not fulfilling my creativity. I don’t find myself having blocks of time in my daily/weekly agenda to indulge in creative activity, as I wish I could. (I dream of one day having a sun-drenched studio space where I can paint uninterrupted for days on end!!) I try to increase my ‘creativity’ in my everyday tasks. I take that little bit of extra time to wrap a gift to my liking, rather than quickly throwing some wrapping paper over it. I try to cook at least one meal a week that allows me to explore a new recipe and spend some time enjoying the process rather than rushing through it. Or something as simple as after cleaning the house, picking some flowers from the garden to sit in a vase on the table. As my girlfriends would know, I hate ironing! I wait until the pile is huge and then listen to a good podcast while I work my way through it, which has now turned into a task I hilariously love! I try to make the otherwise mundane tasks seem somewhat more enjoyable and creative.
How talented is she?!?
If you could live anywhere in Australia where would you choose and why? We’ve recently relocated to the Mornington Peninsula and we are absolutely loving the slower paced beach lifestyle. If I could bring the Queensland weather down permanently, this place would be flawless. I hate the cold! So Queensland would be my pick, if I could just convince Matt. I love yoga because... I feel my body and mind strengthen in every practice. Like meditating, it’s the only real time I tap into my body, and all the other noises and distractions fade away. You are an avid vedic meditator? Can you tell us a bit more about what that journey was like, and why it resonates so deeply with you and your family? Both Matt and I started mediating in a state of desperate need to change our situation with daily stress and anxiety. We both found some relief once we started practicing, but it was only when we fell off the band wagon some 6 months later that we realized the positive impact it had made on our lives. Without the daily practice, our heads spun back into chaos and mess, a place that had felt normal for so many years, yet suddenly looked like absolute insanity! So, we committed to our practice again, and haven’t looked back. We don’t always manage to get in the 2 x 20 minute daily sessions, but our early morning sessions are non-negotiable. Our boys are very aware of our meditation practice, and Bobby will be able to learn it soon once he turns 5. They will have the greatest kick start being able to incorporate meditation into their lives from such a young and moldable age. As the Dalai Lama said; “If every 8 year old in the world is taught meditation, we will eliminate violence from the world within one generation.” Your recommendations got me onto some of my all time favourite brands like Peace Love and Vegetables, Dr Bronner's and Love Tea What are your 5 top, non-negotiable MUST HAVES at home? That’s a hard question because I'm so passionate about mindfully choosing ALL things that we surround ourselves with! Ok… Southern Cross Pottery water filter for our clean water. Abode for ALL our cleaning and washing products. InBed bed pure linen bedding. Pana Chocolate OR Alter Eco chocolate. For energy & space clearing consultation you can’t go past Leanne Dawson in Melbourne. Give us your fast five: I’m reading… Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself by Joe Despenza. I’m listening to… a Classic Acoustic playlist on Spotify. I’m loving… My early morning routine. I’m loathing… the Melbourne cold. I’m lusting after… The Leeroy sofa by Grazia.
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